New Sleep Talk Mode Lowers PC Energy Usage

Somniloquy is technology that allows computers to run basic tasks while consuming energy equivalent to what it uses during sleep mode.

Personal Computers have long had the sleep mode that activates when it's not in use in order to lessen energy consumption. But researchers from the UC San Diego and Microsoft Research saw potential for a state in between awake and sleep mode - a state that allows a computer to perform some functions usually done when awake, while still saving energy in the process. They call the new technology, Somniloquy, which literally means "the act or habit of talking in one's sleep."

"I realized that most of the tasks that people keep their computers on for--like ensuring remote access and availability for virus scans and backup, maintaining presence on instant messaging (IM) networks, being available for incoming voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls, and file sharing and downloading--can be achieved at much lower power-use levels than regular awake mode," says UC San Diego Ph.D. student Yuvraj Agarwal.

This mode has not yet been built into existing computer systems, so what the researchers did was build a USB device that allows current PCs to go into this pseudo-sleep mode. The hardware is a plug-and-play device with its own processor, flash memory and lightweight operating system. It puts the computer in sleep mode, but allows it to run simple, non-power intensive tasks like instant messaging, downloads and virus scans among many others, as well as let the computer's network connection remain active. With the prototype able to work on both desktops and laptops, the developers claim using Somniloquy would reduce the energy consumption of PCs in idle state by 11 to 24 times - that is, reportedly, equivalent to energy savings from 60 to 80 percent, depending on the system. According to PhysOrg, the goal is to condense Somniloquy into a smaller package and incorporate the technology onto a network interface card for future use.